Do I need the new Crafting gear ASAP

[Nyalia]

If you're doing 3* crafts, the new stuff doesn't help that much. The offhand, maybe, but really, the new stuff is to reach the minimums for 4* crafting.

To do 4* crafts, you need quite a bit of stats. Assuming no FC buffs and a desire to HQ the 4*s by using Bouillabaisse, let's consider the following as a "base state" which gets you most of the way there:

• Supra main hand
• Artisan off-hand (unmelded)
• Artisan Spectacles
• i55 AF chest, legs, feet, and hands, all fully melded
• i55 belt and accessories, fully melded

From this "base state," you'll need +15 craftsmanship and +7 control to reach the minimums for crafting 4* items. More than that really doesn't have an effect right now on your chances to HQ the items.

There are three options to reach these minimums.

1. Use the Ehctal Smithing Gloves for +3 Control (and -3 CP) and meld your offhand with the following: Command IV, Competence III, Competence III, Competence III, Cunning III (+15 Craftsmanship, +4 Control, +3 CP). Later, you can get +3 CP by obtaining a single piece of i60 Artisan body gear, fully melding it, and if it's the arms, replacing the Ehctal gloves with it. Otherwise, replace the i55 AF gear for that slot with the i60 Artisan gear, then replace the Ehctal gloves with the i55 AF gloves.
2. Meld your offhand with: Command IV, Command III, Competence III, Competence III, Competence III. You'll be forever down 3 CP as a result compared to the build above, but won't need any Artisan gear. This is only good if you're doing a single class to 4* - more than that, and you'll lose money in the long run from the more expensive melds.
3. Obtain a full set of i60 Artisan gear (gloves, feet, legs) and fully meld them. Then, meld your offhand with: Competence III, Competence III, Competence III, Cunning III. (or Competence IV, Competence III, Competence II, Cunning III, or whatever cheap combo gets you +15 craft and +3 CP). This makes it super cheap to meld all of your offhands, but the initial investment for the 3x Artisan gear is crazy high right now.